Plant as soon as you receive your rhizomes.
Plant location and care:
- Full sun, 5-6 hours per day
- Open to breeze, if in a sheltered garden
- Likes frosts and dislikes humidity
- Rhizome needs to be sitting on top of ground eg. rhizome sits on small mound then cover roots completely with soil. The iris "roots" should be totally covered to avoid any dehydration
- Plant Irises 30-50cm apart, allowing for growth and reproduction
- Water for first 2 weeks to allow new roots to start, otherwise no need to water. NB: Existing roots will die away
- Separate every 2-3 years, break rhizomes apart and plant individually (the largest outside rhizomes)
A hoop can be used for holding down irises
Annual care Diary:
February/March/April
- Rebloom time and time to fertilize
- Reblooming Irises will flower again over this period
- Superphosphate for root development and leaf structure
- Potash for blooms
May/June
- Lime time and rest time
- Plants go into dormancy or rest mode
- Clean dead leaves and debris away
- Apply lime or Dolomite
July
- Spray time
- Spray with copper for leaf diseases
- Lime sulphur or an " anti-fungicide" to avoid any rust of leaves or brown spot later in season
August
- Protect from aphids
- Spray with Shield for aphids
- Optional, do another superphosphate dressing
- August plants start to grow
- Monitor leaves for any fungal signs and spray
September/October
- Start of bloom
- Dwarf and Intermediate Bearded Irises bloom
October/November
- Tall Bearded Irises bloom
- Multiplication of rhizomes starts
- Plants decide to make blooms for next season
- Hybridising takes place
November/December
- Tall Irises bloom and setting of seeds
- Ensure seed pods are labelled
- Make sure all beds are free of dead leaves, etc.
- Early division can take place
- Snap of any old stalks, backwards
January
- Long dry
- Establishment of new rhizomes
- Spray Shield for aphids, if required
Alignments
Rust
- Spray with lime sulphur mid-winter, 1 part to 35 parts water
- Trim and burn leaves
- Spray with copper at a low rate
Soft Rot
- Trim rotted area away.
- Dip / cover rhizome in flours of sulphur, or a mix of 10% bleach
- Allow to dry and replant
Aphids
- Shield spray as per roses
Brown Spot
- Use fungicide, trim back leaves and burn
Pineappling
- Leaf fan appears like corrugated cardboard. No known cause, just unusual weather